A SHADOW cabinet minister has warned Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly that she faces the fight of her life to hang on to her seat at the next General Election.

David Willetts, the Conservative secretary for Work, Pensions and Welfare Reform attacked Ms Kelly on her home turf when he visited the constituency on Monday.

He told a meeting at the Over Hulton Conservative Club that as a former treasury minister she could not shirk her responsibility for what he described as Britain's growing pensions crisis.

Mr Willetts claimed that a survey conducted by the Conservative candidate for Bolton West, Philip Allott, had revealed that pensions were the biggest cause of concern for many people in the constituency. And he predicted Ms Kelly would suffer at the ballot box as a result.

Mr Willetts said: "There is no doubt we are experiencing a pensions crisis in this country.

"As a former treasury minister, Ruth Kelly has more responsibility than most for this and she cannot shirk that responsibility."

He added that £1.7 million people across the country entitled to a means tested pension were not claiming it.

Conservatives have unveiled an eight-point programme to tackle the pension problems and encourage people to save.

The proposals include rolling back the spread of means testing by linking the basic state pension to earnings rather than prices, and getting one million pensioners off means-tested benefits over four years - moves they believe would deliver increases worth £7 to a single pensioner and £11 to couples.

Better incentives to save would be created by scrapping the obligation to provide an annuity at the age of 75, and instead requiring people only to ensure that they had a sufficient income to avoid relying on means-tested benefits.

Mr Allott added: "A lot of people in this ward tell me they are very unhappy with Labour and many have pledged their support to us at the next election."

Ms Kelly was not available for comment.